A miniature CRISPR-Cas10 enzyme confers immunity by inhibitory signalling.

ABSTRACT: Microbial and viral co-evolution has created immunity mechanisms involving oligonucleotide signalling that share mechanistic features with human antiviral systems¹. In these pathways, including cyclic oligonucleotide-based antiphage signalling systems (CBASSs) and type III CRISPR systems in bacteria and cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) in humans, oligonucleotide synthesis occurs upon detection of virus or foreign genetic material in the cell, triggering the antiviral response^2-4. Here, in an unexpected inversion of this process, we show that the CRISPR-related enzyme mCpol synthesizes cyclic oligonucleotides constitutively as part of an active mechanism that represses a toxic effector. Cell-based experiments demonstrated that the abs

SUBMITTER: Doherty EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12657230 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature